ABOUT US

WWFHA is a non-profit (501-c3) association dedicated to promoting girls' ice hockey in the USA Pacific Northwest. We exist to give girls the opportunity to play on all-girl teams, regardless of ability or experience. Our objective is to promote hockey as a sport for girls. We are an alternative for girls who don't want to play on youth teams or who want to play and be seen on a girls' team as well.
WWFHA is a volunteer-run independent hockey association.
WWFHA is a member of USA Hockey, Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey association (PNAHA), Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association (PCAHA), and British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association (BCAHA).
Our goals are:
  • to offer girls who don't wish to play on youth teams an avenue to continue playing
  • to offer extra coaching and playing opportunities to girls who play on youth teams
  • to let girls experience playing on an all-girl team
  • to showcase the talents of skilled players
  • to give girls the opportunity to learn to play hockey
  • to have fun playing hockey.
  • If you're under eight, we encourage you to join the beginners program or to play on a youth team for one of the local youth associations. We will hold coaching clinics for you several times each season.
  • If you're aged eight and above, you're invited to join WWFHA, either as an alternative to or in addition to your participation on a youth team. USA Hockey and PNAHA allow girls to play for two associations at the recreational (house) level.
  • If you're a beginning player, you'll will be placed on a team that matches your ability, regardless of age.
  • You can join any time during the season if space is available (September to March).
    • We pro-rate our fees for latecomers.

2010-2011 Teams

19U/Midget Representative Team: Washington WILD #1

Coaches: Les Grauer, Greg Gicewicz

The Washington WILD #1 team is for skilled players. This team will compete at the USAH Tier II level at the Pacific District tournament. The team will play in the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association league (PCAHA) in the lower mainland of BC, Canada at the Flight 1 level.

Home game rink is Bellingham Sportsplex. Away games are played in the lower mainland of BC.

Practices: at Everett Events Center, 2 1/2 per week (2 per week shared with WILD #2, 1 full ice practice every second week)


PCAHA games: approx. 30 per season
Tournament games: 20 - 24 per season
Tournaments: Abbotsford (October); Burnaby (November); Connecticutt Polar Bear (December); MLK San Jose (January); Pacific District
plus others TBA.
Our goal is to have players participate in all practices, games and tournaments.

19U/Midget Travel Team: Washington WILD #2

Coaches: Yoshito Kosai, Matt Harrow.

This is the developmental team for players who want to move to the WILD #1 19U team in the future.
This team will play in the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association league (PCAHA) in the lower mainland of BC, Canada at the level they get tiered at.

Home rink is Bellingham Sportsplex. Away games are played in the lower mainland of BC, usually double headers on weekends (i.e., no weeknight games).

Practices: 2 per week at Everett Events Center shared with WILD #1, plus practices on the small ice at Highland every second week.
PCAHA games: approx. 28 per season
Tournament games: 12 - 16 per season
Tournaments: Burnaby (November); Langley (December); Richmond (March); Everett Ravens (April).

Our goal is to have players participate in all practices, games and tournaments. At the discretion of the coaches and board, players living more than 100 miles from Everett may be offered special dispensation from attending a percentage of practices.

Recreational Teams: PHOENIX (peewee) and HAWKS (squirt)

Coaches: Pat Keaney, Jane Pennock, Tess Kleine

Our recreational team(s) are for beginning players, girls who prefer to play at the recreational level, or girls who want to develop their skills so that they can join the Washington WILD teams. Players are placed on teams based on ability and teams are placed in competition based on skill level, not age.

The recreational teams play in the North Puget Sound Hockey League (against youth [i.e., boys'] teams, with no body checking), and in tournaments and exhibition games against girls' teams.

Girls can be rostered with two associations at the recreational level. We welcome girls who play for a youth association to play on one of our teams as well. All girls, at all skill levels, are welcome and will be offered a place on a team.
Girls who play for two associations are required to give priority to the association they were first registered with in the current season when conflicts arise. We hope that common sense will prevail with all coaches in enforcing this rule (for example, league and playoff games should have priority over exhibition games).
We anticipate that our players will have a wide range of abilities, and we have selected coaches who will be able to nurture the talent in every skater, from beginner to elite.


HAWKS Recreational Team

This team was cancelled for the 2009-2010 season due to low registration. We'll try again this season.

The Hawks play in the squirt division (10U) of the North Puget Sound Hockey League (NPSHL) that includes house (recreational) teams from Seattle Junior, Sno-King, Everett, Kent Valley, Kitsap, Tacoma and WWFHA.
Who is eligible?
  • Beginners up to 12 (approx.) years old; there will probably be a size limit (height and weight) imposed by NPSHL
  • Peewee (12U) players who meet the size and ability criteria
  • Squirt (10U) players
  • Mites (8U) who feel they can compete against 10U players.
The team will be registered with USA Hockey as a 12U or 14U girls' team.

PHOENIX Recreational Team

The Phoenix play in the peewee division (12U) of the North Puget Sound Hockey League (NPSHL) that includes house (recreational) teams from Seattle Junior, Sno-King, Everett, Kent Valley, Kitsap, Tacoma and WWFHA.
Who is eligible?
  • Beginners up to 15 (approx.) years old; there will probably be a size limit (height and weight) imposed by NPSHL
  • Bantam (14U) players who meet the size and ability criteria
  • Peewee (12U)
  • Squirt (10U) players who want to be challenged.
The team will be registered with USA Hockey as a 14U, 16U or 19U girls' team.

What are the advantages or playing on a WWFHA recreational team?
WWFHA will provide quality coaching, and whenever possible we will not have parent coaches.

Girls who are new to hockey or have limited experience will be supported by their coaches and will have the opportunity to play at a competitive level that should be comfortable for them.

Girls can double roster to get more ice time: they can play for a youth team (usually referred to as a boys' team) with one of the local associations, and for WWFHA. If a game conflict arises, we expect girls to play for whichever association they were a member of first.

Association policy is that all recreational (Phoenix and Hawks) players get equal ice time, regardless of ability. We want to teach girls to play hockey, not to win a particular game, and we all believe that no one gets better by sitting on the bench.
Are you interested?
The program fee covers one practice per week on the small ice at Highland Ice Arena, some practices at the Everett Events Center plus about 16 games.
Home ice for games will be Kingsgate Arena.

General Information for all players

For more information on our policies, click on guidebook on the left of the screen.

Players will be required to register with USA Hockey online and pay their registration fee directly to USA Hockey

Click here to register online at the USA Hockey website.

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2010-2011 Program Fees:
2010-2011 Fee Payment Schedule
date due Registration Fee
6/30/2010		 Payment
9/30/2010		 Payment
10/31/2010		 Payment
11/30/2010		 Payment
12/31/2010		 Total Due
12/31/2010
Hawks (squirt) $100 $175 $175 $175 $175 $800
Phoenix (peewee) $100 $175 $175 $175 $175 $800
Wild 1(19U) $250 $325 $325 $325 $325 $1,550
Wild 2(19U) $250 $275 $275 $275 $275 $1,350
Goalies on all teams will receive a 75% rebate on their fees at the end of the season.
Checks for program fees should be made out to WWFHA.
Pay your fees in full by October 1 and get a $50 discount.
If you would like to arrange a different payment schedule, contact the treasurer.
Fees may be paid monthly by arrangement with the treasurer.
We are actively seeking sponsorships to reduce fees.
Players joining after the start of the season pay a pro-rated program fee plus a $35 late registration fee.
 

Additional Costs

  • All players will be required to contribute to a team fund to pay for their coaches' expenses. Our coaches are not paid to coach but are reimbursed for traveling expenses including travel to practices and games.
  • Tournament costs are not included in the program fee.
    Each player will be charged for her share of the tournament entry fee plus her share of the team expenses. Teams pay for coaches' hotel rooms and an allowance of $50 per coach per night.
  • Each player will usually have to pay between $80 and $120 to the team fund for out-of-town tournaments.
  • There will also be personal expenses such as hotels and meals during tournaments.
Washington WILD team expenses will range from about $50 to $80 per month to cover the cost of coaches' expenses, bus hire if necessary, and tournament fees.

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2010-2011 Coaches

Washington WILD:

Wild #1
Head coach: Les Grauer email: les@familynightout.com
Assistant coach:Greg Gicewicz email: sterilesurgical@msn.com

Wild #2
Head Coach: Yoshito (Yoshi) Kosai email: kosaiy@gmail.com
Assistant Coach: Matt Harrow email: mharrow35@gmail.com

Recreational Teams Coaches:

Phoenix (peewee)
Head Coach: Pat Keaney email: Patrick.Keaney@arcadis-us.com
Assistant coach: Jane Pennock email: jspennock@comcast.net
Assistant coach: Tess Kleine email: tesssk@comcast.net
others: TBA
Other coaches will be selected to work on specific skills under the direction of the team head coaches.

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2010-2011 Clinics

Seattle Junior Hockey Association's clinics for skaters and goalies are open to WWFHA recreational players.

Seattle Junior Hockey Association's Stick and Puck sessions are also open to all WWFHA players.

(The SJHA web site will open on a new page. Close the page to return to WWFHA.com.)

We recommend that all players born 1996 or earlier attend a checking clinic. The purpose of these clinics is to teach players how to handle body contact and how to fall safely. Body checking is not allowed in female hockey, but it does happen, and it's important to know how to protect yourself.
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Donate your used equipment; tax receipts are available
We want to make hockey accessible to all girls who want to play. By donating your used equipment, you will be helping to build a girls' hockey program in Washington.
Your donated gear will be loaned to beginning players. We need gear in all sizes from peewee to adult.
Your cash donation to WWFHA will help pay the program fees for girls who can't afford to play.

If you are interested in corporate sponsorship, Contact us.